Set a thief to take a thief.
Meaning: Fighting cunning requires cunning; only a dishonest person understands another's deceptive methods well enough to counter them.
Origin: The idea is that nobody knows a thief's tricks better than another thief. A play of 1665 already calls "set a thief to catch a thief" an old saying, and John Ray collected it in 1670. It has long been the justification for employing reformed criminals to catch active ones.
More proverbs about Morality
- When it thunders the thief becomes honest. — Fear of divine punishment temporarily reforms even the most dishonest when facing greater…
- There is a tide in the affairs of man which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. — Seizing opportunities at their peak moment determines success; delay means missing favora…
- Trust not a horse's heel, nor a dog's tooth. — Animals show their danger through their vulnerable parts—beware those who reveal capacity…
- Truth hath a good face, but bad clothes. — Honesty may lack polish or appeal, yet its substance remains sound and worthy of respect.
- Truth may be blamed, but it can't be shamed. — Truth's integrity remains unblemished regardless of criticism or disapproval directed aga…
- An unhappy lad may make a good man. — Hardship in youth builds character and resilience necessary for adult virtue.
From our tongue twisters
- Pepe Pecas pica papas con un pico. ¿Con qué pico pica papas Pepe Pecas? — A bouncy 'p' cluster that accelerates with the question at the end.
- El perro de San Roque no tiene rabo porque Ramón Ramírez se lo ha robado. — A rolled-'r' workout — every word demands the vibrating trill.
- Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barril; rápido ruedan los carros sobre los rieles del ferrocarril. — The definitive Spanish rr drill — unrelenting double-r from start to finish.